May 6, 2025
SEOUL – Have you ever thought about whether you’d get cancer?
We all know someone who has. But many of us walk through life unprepared. Choi Seung-ih, a 59-year-old senior model, was no different.
“Never,” she said when asked if the thought had ever crossed her mind. “There was no family history. I exercised regularly. I even trained for a body profile photoshoot. I was strict with my diet. I thought I’d never get cancer.
Then, about a year ago, Choi was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.
Her world shifted, and so did her presence on Instagram, where she had been steadily building a following as a senior model living a seemingly admirable, age-defying life.
New chapter
Before the diagnosis, her videos mostly focused on living a productive and inspirational life. One of her most popular Reels, which drew 194,000 views, showed how she began working as the oldest part-time employee at Lululemon Korea.
“At an age when most people are thinking about retirement, I submitted my resume, went in for an interview, and got hired as a part-timer. It’s already been three years and six months,” she said in the video.
But the topic of her posts changed after her diagnosis to show the entire journey she has been through.
The first video that marked a shift was the one where she shared her diagnosis.
It ends with her saying, “When you see me in person, please smile at me.”
Choi said the line came from a few unpleasant experiences.
“It was summer. I was sweating under my hat and wanted to take it off to cool down,” she remembered. “When I did, people didn’t hide their shock, especially older people. I think there’s still this myth that a woman without hair is a bad omen.”
“I just want people to understand I’m someone trying to get better,” she said.
That video was her way of facing her fear. The ones that followed have tracked her recovery.
In one video, which attracted over 94,000 views, she walks viewers through shaving her head and picking out hats. She doesn’t make it tragic. She smiles and tries to keep things bright.
“It’s fun shopping for hats,” she says in the video. “Let’s meet the new me.”
Still, even someone as open-hearted as Choi isn’t immune to doubt.
“Especially before posting my diagnosis video, I kept wondering if people would think I was just seeking attention,” she told The Korea Herald. “Or looking for sympathy.”
When asked what kind of support helps, Choi said, even kind words can sometimes feel hollow.
“People say, ‘You’ll get better.’ But sometimes those words felt empty,” she said.
“What helped more was when people shared their own stories. Whether it was something they went through or what happened to someone in their family.”
Those stories, she said, touched her heart.
Life with cancer
Choi hasn’t been able to fully return to her old life as she’s still undergoing chemotherapy. Also, she no longer works at Lululemon due to her reduced physical strength.
Still, she tries to maintain as much of her routine as she can.
One part of that is lifting weights, though fitness now holds a very different meaning than it once did, when it was mainly about staying in shape for modeling.
Many of her videos feature weightlifting and workout sessions she regularly goes through.
“Breast cancer is linked to body fat, so I need to manage it closely,” she said. “Even though patients need to eat well, gaining more than two kilograms in a week can delay treatment.”
Before each chemotherapy session, she undergoes blood tests and weigh-ins. If her weight has gone up, her treatment gets postponed.
“That disrupts the entire cycle. So now, maintaining strength isn’t just about feeling good. It’s about staying on schedule.”
She’s also working to grow her online presence. Her Instagram, which has around 3,500 followers, now features a new project focused on solo travel.
“I started traveling alone during COVID-19,” she said. “I plan to share more things I do by myself, not just traveling.”
She explained that creating solo content brings her a sense of peace and gives her a break from the constant pressure to be productive at home.
Her passion for digital storytelling was clear even during the interview. Before it began, she asked if she could film the process, reflecting her commitment to sharing her life as it unfolds.